"In 2019, 43% of Australians aged 14 and over had illicitly used a drug at some point in their life (including pharmaceuticals used for non‑medical purposes) and 16.4% had used one in the last 12 months. This has been fairly stable since 2016, but up from 38% and 13.4% in 2007.
"Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug in 2019, with 11.6% of Australians using it in the last 12 months. This was followed by cocaine (4.2%), ecstasy (3.0%) and non‑medical use of pain‑killers and opioids (2.7%). Use of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy all rose between 2016 and 2019, as did the use of inhalants, hallucinogens, and ketamine, while the non‑medical use of pain‑killers and opioids fell over the same period.
"While the use of cocaine and ecstasy in the previous 12 months increased between 2016 and 2019, use of meth/amphetamines remained stable (1.4% in 2016 and 1.3% in 2019). However, people who used meth/amphetamines continued to use them more frequently than people who used cocaine and ecstasy. Cannabis continued to be the most frequently used illicit drug, with 37% using it weekly or more often; this was followed by meth/amphetamine use with 17% using it at least weekly. This increased to 29% among those who used crystal/ice as their main form of meth/amphetamines. Very few people who used ecstasy or cocaine used it weekly or more often—6.7% and 4.5% respectively."
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020. National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019. Drug Statistics series no. 32. PHE 270. Canberra AIHW.
